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TheVajraśekhara Sūtra is an importantBuddhisttantra used in theVajrayāna schools of Buddhism, but can refer to a number of different works. In particular a cycle of 18 texts studied byAmoghavajra (a Patriarch ofChinese Esoteric Buddhism), which included bothTattvasaṃgraha Tantra, and theGuhyasamaja Tantra, a Tibetan text which appears to be composed of two works grouped together and to further confuse matters in the JapaneseShingon school theSarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha Tantra is known by this name. In Tibetan it is considered to be the main representative of theYogatantra class of texts.[2]
The tantra begins withVairocana Buddha preaching the Dharma to a great host ofBodhisattvas, includingVajrasattva, in the Pure Land of Akanishta. As he preaches theDharma, Prince Sarvarthasiddhi, the esoteric name of the Buddha,Siddhartha Gautama, is meditating under theBodhi Tree. Enlightenment is imminent, but the Prince has still not attained it because he is still attached in some small way to his forsaken ascetic practices. Despairing over his inability to find Enlightenment, he is visited by Buddhist figures who were just now learning the Dharma from Vairocana.
These same deities proceed to teach him a more direct path to Enlightenment through tantric ritual. The tantra then details the rituals used toactualize the Dharma. These rituals help form the basis oftantric ritual inShingon Buddhism, including such practices as meditating upon the full moon and the use of certain mantras.
This tantra also introduces theVajra Realm Mandala as a focus for meditative practices and its use in theabhiseka ritual of initiation. As the prince has now experienced Enlightenment, he ascends toMount Sumeru and constructs theVajra Realm Mandala and initiates and converts thebodhisattvas gathered there, one by one, into tantric deities who constitute the Mandala.
In tantric ritual, the teacher assumes the role of the Prince who constructs the Mandala, while the master and student repeat specific mantras in a form of dialogue. The student, who isblindfolded, then throws a flower upon the Mandala that is constructed, and where it lands (i.e. which deity) helps dictate where the student should focus his devotion on the tantric path. From there, the student's blindfold is removed and avajra is placed in hand.
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